A human rights activist and critic of the Palestinian Authority died Thursday after security forces stormed his house, beat him and violently arrested him, triggering angry protests in the occupied West Bank.

Hopes grew Wednesday for Libya's stability following a decade of bloodshed as Russia and Turkey reached a tentative plan in talks in Berlin to start withdrawing foreign mercenaries, officials said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will on Sunday hold his first meeting with Israel's new Foreign Minister Yair Lapid since he took office, a U.S. official said.

Israel announced Wednesday a delay to the renewed entry of individual tourists and said it could take other steps to counter the spread of the Delta variant of coronavirus despite the country's high vaccination rate.

Four members of the Saudi hit squad that killed US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 had received paramilitary training in the United States that had been approved by the State Department, the New York Times reported late Tuesday. 

World powers are gathering Wednesday in Berlin to seek lasting peace in Libya by ensuring the conflict-wracked North African country stays firmly on the path towards general elections on December 24.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned Tuesday of a "new outbreak" of coronavirus in Israel after a rise in infections he said was likely due to returning travelers carrying the Delta variant.

Fighting between Yemeni loyalists and Huthi rebels seeking to take the strategic northern city of Marib has killed 90 fighters in two days, pro-government military sources said Tuesday.

Israel has eased some restrictions on the Gaza Strip that have threatened a fragile cease-fire, Palestinian officials said. Hamas, however, said the move was really Israel's attempt to pressure the militant group into making concessions.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said 11 truckloads of clothes were exported through Kerem Shalom crossing for the first time in 40 days. On Sunday, Israel said it will allow limited agricultural exports from Gaza.

The Israeli military said it has successfully tested an airborne high-power laser that can shoot down drones, technology it hopes to deploy on a larger scale in the coming years.

Israel already boasts a large and sophisticated air defense system, which the military says had a 90% interception rate against thousands of rockets fired from Gaza during last month's 11-day war. The laser technology would complement that system.